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Monthly Archives: July 2017

I apologize about the radio silence. Last week I started a job (as a software developer at a tech company focused on automation), and this week I’m out visiting my aunt in Virginia. With the grandparents, things have been crazy, and starting the job was the big nail in the coffin in getting these posts up.

I can’t promise when the next post will be, but I’ll do my best to make it in the next few weeks. Until then, feel free to follow or check back regularly for updates.

Sure, there are more time-intensive things. The phone interviews and actual interviews can last for an hour or more. But they happen at an elevated point in the whole process: when things are looking good. When you’ve been contacted because the company has seen something in you.

When you have to write a cover letter, especially for a company you’ve never heard of, you need to do research. Find the person who might handle your letter. Become familiar with the products the company has. Learn what makes the company unique.

If I wanted to work for Square-Enix, Nintendo, or Atlas, it’s simple. I’ve had such a long history with those companies that a cover letter can practically flow from the heart. But when it’s a small, up-and-coming studio with a couple live mobile games, it’s harder. As much as I believe I have something to offer those companies, I know that the amount of research I need to do is loads more.

The hardest part is applying for companies in which you lack some of the requirements for the position. Because while a cover letter might be the thing that brings your strengths to the attention of the company, there’s also a chance that the company will never see it when they find out you lack in some key area. And spending hours on a cover letter nobody will see is a tough proposition. Never mind the fact that some position might be filled and the job remains on the board accidentally or a company might only be hiring internally, and your cover letter means nothing to them.

But, not writing one is even worse. At least a cover letter does boost someone’s chance. Guess I’d better get on this next one…